My New Dataset

I'm a data geek. I'm also a sports geek. So, it was inevitable that I would eventually marry my two geek-domes.

I recently embarked on a (ongoing) journey to get granular NFL data so that I could find my own unique stats - maybe even run some analytics against the data to see if I can find some secret to NFL success - think gridiron Moneyball.....yeah, I'm sure I'm the only one in search of this treasure.

I actually found that granular (at least game level) data was very hard to find for free - and I have a wife who probably wouldn't take kindly to my spending the college funds on this endeavor. Over a year ago, I was able to find game level data in a csv format (I believe I got that from profootballtalk.com - but I'm not 100% sure). That data went through 2006. I supplemented that data. in a very manual fashion, with data through 2008 (starting in 1995).

With all of this data, I decided to start analyzing quarterback statistics and see if I could find any trends. I layered in game scores, colleges attended, and any other information I could get my hands on.

My goal was/is to use free time to answer any questions that come to mind. Which colleges have the qbs with the best win/loss records? Which conferences? Which qb's would most improve their records if they had a better defense?
I would eventually like to start running some higher level analytics and seeing if I could find some neat trends. For now, I'll stick with some, more or less, basic data.